An Art Journal to showcase new work and talk about life in general behind the easel

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Starting something new

Didn’t quite manage to finish the horse drawing as it got to the point where I was having to force myself to work on it and my motivation just wasn’t there. When I start looking for things to do after only 10 or 15 minutes of drawing, it’s best I put whatever I am working on to one side and start something new - this way I don’t end up rushing to finish it and possibly ruining it in the process. Hopefully I can go back to my horse at a later date with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm.

I’ve been thinking for some time now about doing a small series of Labrador drawings and paintings and it was really a case of finding the right reference material before I could make a start. A friend of mine has a gorgeous black lab and I was able to photograph him while visiting recently – not the easiest colour of dog to take photos of but got a few good ones for me to work with and I don’t have to go far should I need more. So now I have my references I can begin!Thought I’d start with a pencil drawing (no surprise there then:))

A Work in ProgressCopyright Laura Hardie 2010

There are a couple of exhibitions coming up that I want to enter work into this year so need to start looking into these and filling out the various entry forms. Then of course there is the question of what drawings/paintings to enter so I’d better get organised!

I have the same policy about putting work aside if it stops talking to me. Sometimes it means starting all over again, but if the goal is to have a piece we're proud of, that's just the way it is, right?

I wanted to ask you what pencils you use for your graphite drawings. If you've covered this elsewhere, I'm sorry for the repeat! Maybe some other wandering late-comer will get the benefit of the answer along with me. :)

Absolutely beautiful work. I hear you about putting something aside if the motivation isn't there. I recently did the same with an art piece, but on the up-side, finished quite a few others. Happy Art Making!

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About Me

Hi and welcome to my blog! I am an Edinburgh based artist who loves drawing animals, especially horses. To view more of my drawings and paintings, or if you are interested in commissioning a portrait, please visit my website at www.laurahardie.co.uk